Fear – How to Overcome it and Find Bravery

Fear, mom fear to be exact, can consume a mom.

Right away, I had this sense of urgency to protect my children. When we brought my son home from the hospital, I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. Well, for starters, I thought he was the most adorable baby I had ever seen in my life. His coos just melted my heart. But, when it came to lay him down in his bassinet, I couldn’t help but have this overwhelming fear.

Is he going to be able to breathe? Is he going to stop breathing in the middle of the night?

It overwhelmed me so much, that I woke up every hour to go check on him. I would wait and see if his little chest would move.

I was a first time mother. I had no idea what I was doing or how to do anything. This went on for months. So, I was this really tired mom during the day. I would sneak in naps when I could. But, even they were really short.

Eventually the fear went away. But, new fears trickled in. Like when he started to crawl. He would find every little thing on the floor and put it in his mouth.

Is he going to choke?

Those were the moments that made my anxiety creep up into my throat. It’s scary. I am raising a human being. I am now managing an impulsive personality in my home that is foreign to me. He’s now three and gives me other things that nearly give me heart attacks.

But, over the years I have learned to trust that he is far more capable of things than I give him credit for doing. What he does still makes me silently gasp; but, if I continue to live with a constant fear. I can’t be the best mama for him. And with two kiddos now, oh boy, there are moments I just have to close my eyes, say a prayer and just breathe.

Being brave is really hard. So, what are some ways to overcome fear?

We need to put our trust where it needs to be.

I need to trust that I am the mama my children need. When they start being really adventurous and make my heart sink into my stomach. I need to trust that I will not get overwhelmed with the situation; so, I can be level headed enough to act quickly if I need to or give a positive reinforcement about their bravery. How do I do that?

I love reading Psalm 147:4: “He counts the stars and knows them all by name.”

It tells me I am important – that what I do is important. That I was born to be a mom and born to be my kiddos’ mama. That what I do each day, though it’s imperfect, is exactly what my kiddos need. That I can trust that the Lord is always there and with that trust, I can be brave.

I also love reading Philippians 4:13: “For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.”

It tells me that if I give my worries to Him, trust that He is on my side always and I’m living according to His calling for me, I can step out in the moments that make me scared and be brave. I can face my day with courage. I have a father that is there for me, when I can’t do it on my own.

To put it in perspective: we took my daughter to the fair for the first time this year. In we go to the petting zoo. She gets so excited about the goats while I’m holding her. She points to them and tries to say BAAAAAH. So, I set her down on her feet to pet them. Well, right beforehand we were all sharing a giant, buttery, salted pretzel. I could imagine her fingers smelled just like the pretzel. All of the goats approached her and started nibbling at her fingers. She started to shake. She got overwhelmed and started to cry. She reached both arms up to me for help. I picked her up in her moment of fear and told her that she is brave and that I am here. She then was able to calm down and find bravery to touch the goats again.

I’m not trying to relate myself to God – by no means. But, that situation made me think of my relationship with God. It’s like my relationship with my daughter. She comes to me with questions. She comes to me when she’s scared. She trusts that I am always there. And that is how I need to be with God.

There I have put a list of books I have read that help keep me encouraged. I have corners of the pages folded that really encouraged me. So, when I have moments I need encouragement, I can find those pages quickly. I have mom groups listed on there too. Because, community is so important to have during the journey of motherhood.